First allow me to express my awe in response to the comprehensive database you have compiled. I am new to the site, but have always heard people speak about head-fi with such positive tones.. now i know why :)

I was hoping you could give me some advice;

I am looking to purchase some headphones for under 200$ after my Shure E2C's broke. The problem with these headphones, and my Head-Direct RE-0's before them, was mainly a durability issue.. the connection between the wire and the jack that plugs into my ipod keeps breaking no matter how well i take care of the headphones.

I was right about to buy a pair of Panasonic RP-HJE900 ,mainly because of their build quality, but the cheapest price i can find is just below 200$ from amazon, and i think for that price i could probably find something better. Do you think this is a wise investment for the price or should i be looking elsewhere?

Yes, unlike the Boom, the Pearl was one I truly enjoyed. Too bad I like my Brainwavz M1 and iM-590 a little better or it could have become the new $40 benchmark. Plus, I think it has been discontinued although I really can't tell with Hippo anymore.

I skipped the recent iM-590 deal because your review stated that they are more analytical, I personally find bumps overemphasize certain parts of music, making it sound a bit unnatural and thus harder to enjoy the muisc.

I'll be sure to give the M1 a try when I get the chance though, especially since Amazon is carrying the brainwavz products now.

I spotted them in the UK for £35 and from the general gist of things I hear about UE, they are pretty darn good. I have my Brainwavz ProAlpha's (£26) en route, finally left Hong Kong, and should be with me in days. If I sell up the ProAlpha's and the Fiio E5 Amp (free gift) I'll break even money-wise and be able to afford the UE SuperFi4's.

However, I would like to know the general opinion on SuperFi 4's before I make a judgement. How much better are they than the ProAlpha's? Are they better? If it makes any difference, I already have the appropriate Comply tips for them (SuperFi 4's use the same tips as the ProAlpha's, lucky coincidence perhaps)

They also have the UE Metro.Fi 150v for £38... just another thing to toy with.

Sound profile: I listen to a very wide variety of music including rock, rap, hip hop, dance, metal, pop etc. Beyond that, I'm not really sure what other music types are. I like, I listen.. I'm a simple man at heart :)

EDIT: Seems like I can pick up Monster Turbines from eBay UK for £35 too. Good reseller rating, BNIB. Any ideas?

The SF4vi and SF4 should sound the same. I don't find the SF4 to be a step up from the ProAlpha - it emphasizes the lower half of the frequency spectrum much like the ProAlpha does but the ProAlpha is smoother and more liquid-sounding. The SF4, like all UEs, is not a bad earphone but I think the Meelec A151 actually does that signature better and is much more all-around user friendly to boot for a little more money. MetroFi for more money than the SF4 is a huge rip-off. I think those are worth $30 at most considering current competition in the price range. Turbines for a price that seems too good to be true are probably fake.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtasi

Yeah the UE line-up review is really interesting. Especially the 600 since it is really similar to the audeo pfe

Well that's true in theory since both use top-firing armatures but the SF5/UE600 (same thing) doesn't really sound a whole lot like the PFE. It's more of a Westone 1 / Soundmagic PL50 type of sound with emphasis on the midrange and slightly rolled-off treble.

Quote:

Originally Posted by macrocheesium

The MC5 review has been in progress for a long time! Any idea when that'll be up joker?

That's because my ACS custom tips have been in the works for something like two solid months now. I can post the long-finished MC5/HF3 reviews without mentioning the tips but then I'd have to go back and revisit the earphones at a later time which doesn't seem all that time-effective from my perspective.

Quote:

Originally Posted by monoglycer

Isn't the UE600 just a rebranded superfi 5 (which has been reviewed by joker)?

I don't think I've reviewed the SF5 aside from maybe saying a word or two about its signature here and there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tehbread

Hey Joker,

First allow me to express my awe in response to the comprehensive database you have compiled. I am new to the site, but have always heard people speak about head-fi with such positive tones.. now i know why :)

I was hoping you could give me some advice;

I am looking to purchase some headphones for under 200$ after my Shure E2C's broke. The problem with these headphones, and my Head-Direct RE-0's before them, was mainly a durability issue.. the connection between the wire and the jack that plugs into my ipod keeps breaking no matter how well i take care of the headphones.

I was right about to buy a pair of Panasonic RP-HJE900 ,mainly because of their build quality, but the cheapest price i can find is just below 200$ from amazon, and i think for that price i could probably find something better. Do you think this is a wise investment for the price or should i be looking elsewhere?

Thanks - I appreciate that.

The HJE900 has unfortunately gone up drastically in price in the past couple of months. If you're thinking of paying that much, I would maybe take the time to call up OneCall and see what their lowest asking price for one of the Monster Turbine Pro earphones is. I think the lifetime warranty makes them more enticing than the HJE900s as far as durability goes.

I thought so too though I ordered a pair. PayPal and eBay combination should keep me safe backed up with enough pictures.

You never know, I might get lucky.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljokerl

The SF4vi and SF4 should sound the same. I don't find the SF4 to be a step up from the ProAlpha - it emphasizes the lower half of the frequency spectrum much like the ProAlpha does but the ProAlpha is smoother and more liquid-sounding. The SF4, like all UEs, is not a bad earphone but I think the Meelec A151 actually does that signature better and is much more all-around user friendly to boot for a little more money. MetroFi for more money than the SF4 is a huge rip-off. I think those are worth $30 at most considering current competition in the price range. Turbines for a price that seems too good to be true are probably fake.

Hi, Joker. Just wanted to let you know this thread has been incredibly helpful in me determining my next IEM. Thing is I kind of have to narrow things down, since 1. I can't spend above $60 including shipping for the IEM. I've been looking for the headphone that performs as well as it can it that price range, every detail is clear, all the ranges are extremely distinguishable i.e. mid highs are easily told apart from highs, soundstage is impressive, and any other characteristics you can throw at for the perfect headphones BUT with the cleanest, deepest, tightest, most punchy, but not boomy bass. I've loved bass for a long time but I hate it when it gets muddy or it doesn't sound clean but I absolutely cannot stand it when the bass becomes distorted even at high levels of volume. But I'm thinking with a good seal, there's no need to increase volume to high amounts. All in all, I'm pretty much looking for an IEM that plays as accurately and reveals every detail, every aspect of the song, and has accurate bass. For the bass, the deeper, the more impact, the tighter, the punchier, deeper, cleaner the better, but the bass has to be just as accurate as the rest of the ranges. Is it possible for you to recommend me some choices? Thanks.

Seems like it's too good to be true as usual as they seem to go for about £200 over here. Judging from everything I can read or see, telling the fakes from the genuine is near impossible except by listening to them.

Worth the risk if I could return them via eBay/Paypal for a full refund?

The price sounds very suspect, how could they afford to sell a £200 product for a mere quarter of the price? I found the seller you're talking about on eBay and looked at his feedback and someone accused him of selling them a fake item to which he didn't respond. It also seems he's been selling some dodgy unbranded mp3 players and a lot of other third party stuff which also seems to be unbranded (mostly for iPods and iPads it seems) which don't work correctly which suggests to me that it wouldn't be too far fetched to believe he's selling other fake merchandise.

I also found these headphones he's selling which look exactly like Creative EP-630s but with no branding or anything on them:

Seems like it's too good to be true as usual as they seem to go for about £200 over here. Judging from everything I can read or see, telling the fakes from the genuine is near impossible except by listening to them.

Worth the risk if I could return them via eBay/Paypal for a full refund?

Aye, the price is too good to be true but the MP4 players are branded Nextel? I believe it was, which has been taken over by something like Tektronic Components Ltd.

It doesn't sound quite right and from everything I read, the fakers do a pretty darn good job of masking their fraudulent attempts and it takes quite a bit of deciphering to work it out. The audio is supposed to be the biggest telltale sign.

Just done another cursory look around and found the Turbine Golds for £189.99 (Amazon direct).

I have my fingers crossed for the Monster Turbines I bought from eBay last night which should arrive in a day or two but i always have Paypal protection and my ProAlpha's due at any time so I can be happy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by EternalEmpire

The price sounds very suspect, how could they afford to sell a £200 product for a mere quarter of the price? I found the seller you're talking about on eBay and looked at his feedback and someone accused him of selling them a fake item to which he didn't respond. It also seems he's been selling some dodgy unbranded mp3 players and a lot of other third party stuff which also seems to be unbranded (mostly for iPods and iPads it seems) which don't work correctly which suggests to me that it wouldn't be too far fetched to believe he's selling other fake merchandise.

I also found these headphones he's selling which look exactly like Creative EP-630s but with no branding or anything on them:

I was looking at the sales from his feedback, all it says is "8GB MP4 Media Player MP3 AVI Video Player + CAMERA".

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElcomeSoft

Aye, the price is too good to be true but the MP4 players are branded Nextel? I believe it was, which has been taken over by something like Tektronic Components Ltd.

It doesn't sound quite right and from everything I read, the fakers do a pretty darn good job of masking their fraudulent attempts and it takes quite a bit of deciphering to work it out. The audio is supposed to be the biggest telltale sign.

Just done another cursory look around and found the Turbine Golds for £189.99 (Amazon direct).

I have my fingers crossed for the Monster Turbines I bought from eBay last night which should arrive in a day or two but i always have Paypal protection and my ProAlpha's due at any time so I can be happy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by EternalEmpire

The price sounds very suspect, how could they afford to sell a £200 product for a mere quarter of the price? I found the seller you're talking about on eBay and looked at his feedback and someone accused him of selling them a fake item to which he didn't respond. It also seems he's been selling some dodgy unbranded mp3 players and a lot of other third party stuff which also seems to be unbranded (mostly for iPods and iPads it seems) which don't work correctly which suggests to me that it wouldn't be too far fetched to believe he's selling other fake merchandise.

I also found these headphones he's selling which look exactly like Creative EP-630s but with no branding or anything on them:

In the auction listing for those players, you can see a picture of a manual which has the brand name on. A quick Google search brings up the same player and leads you to additional information. Not that it's of much importance really.

"

Dear <me>,

Hi Mate

These are AAA replicas

Thanks

- uktronics2010

What do I do with this seller now? Report him to eBay? Is there anything I could/should do?

Quote:

Originally Posted by EternalEmpire

I was looking at the sales from his feedback, all it says is "8GB MP4 Media Player MP3 AVI Video Player + CAMERA".

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElcomeSoft

Aye, the price is too good to be true but the MP4 players are branded Nextel? I believe it was, which has been taken over by something like Tektronic Components Ltd.

Hi, Joker. Just wanted to let you know this thread has been incredibly helpful in me determining my next IEM. Thing is I kind of have to narrow things down, since 1. I can't spend above $60 including shipping for the IEM. I've been looking for the headphone that performs as well as it can it that price range, every detail is clear, all the ranges are extremely distinguishable i.e. mid highs are easily told apart from highs, soundstage is impressive, and any other characteristics you can throw at for the perfect headphones BUT with the cleanest, deepest, tightest, most punchy, but not boomy bass. I've loved bass for a long time but I hate it when it gets muddy or it doesn't sound clean but I absolutely cannot stand it when the bass becomes distorted even at high levels of volume. But I'm thinking with a good seal, there's no need to increase volume to high amounts. All in all, I'm pretty much looking for an IEM that plays as accurately and reveals every detail, every aspect of the song, and has accurate bass. For the bass, the deeper, the more impact, the tighter, the punchier, deeper, cleaner the better, but the bass has to be just as accurate as the rest of the ranges. Is it possible for you to recommend me some choices? Thanks.

I think with that kind of budget you will have to make sacrifices no matter what. The best you can do is grab one of the better all-around earphones in that price range - something like the Brainwavz M2 or Xears TD100/TD100-II if you can find them - rather than search for something with all of the characteristics you are looking for. For accuracy the Maximo iM-590 is worth considering as well though it has a bit less bass than the M2 and TD100.

The title states they are "Monster Turbine Pro Copper Edition", not "Monster Turbine Pro Copper Edition REPLICAS", which is very misleading so you might be able to do something about it. The only hint that they might be replicas is in the product description (notice it's right at the very bottom ¬_¬) where it says they are "AAA quality", but that could've easily been interpreted as "A+ quality" for someone unfamiliar with the term (I had to Google what it meant) and it still doesn't specifically mean they're replicas/fakes (from wikipedia: "AAA, or Triple-A, may be a three-letter acronym or may just mean something that is high-quality, premier, or excellent.").

Did you already purchase them from him? You should report him to eBay/Monster as selling fake merchandise and not clearly stating that they aren't the official product.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElcomeSoft

In the auction listing for those players, you can see a picture of a manual which has the brand name on. A quick Google search brings up the same player and leads you to additional information. Not that it's of much importance really.

"

Dear <me>,

Hi Mate

These are AAA replicas

Thanks

- uktronics2010

What do I do with this seller now? Report him to eBay? Is there anything I could/should do?

Quote:

Originally Posted by EternalEmpire

I was looking at the sales from his feedback, all it says is "8GB MP4 Media Player MP3 AVI Video Player + CAMERA".

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElcomeSoft

Aye, the price is too good to be true but the MP4 players are branded Nextel? I believe it was, which has been taken over by something like Tektronic Components Ltd.